Consider pleas of liquor license-holders on state roads: HC to excise department

The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court directed the state excise department to consider grievances of liquor license-holders with vends situated on state roads. The Supreme Court in an order on December 15, 2016, had banned liquor vends within 500 meters of national and state highways, with the apex court modifying the order in March last year, and reducing the distance to 220 meters in areas having a population of up to 20,000.

Several beer bar license-holders had approached the Bombay High Court contending that their establishments were located on state roads, and not state or national highways, and therefore the SC order did not apply to them. A division bench of Justices RK Deshpande and Milind N Jadhav directed the state government to consider grievances of license-holders whose establishments are located on state roads and not highways, said Vikram Undre, a lawyer for one of the petitioners.

As per rules, the superintendent of the excise of each district is supposed to examine whether liquor shops are located on state roads or highways. In its order uploaded on Tuesday, the bench said the petitioners can make representations to the superintendent of state excise in their respective districts within a period of 15 days from Tuesday, for either grant or renewal of licenses for the continuation of liquor shops.

The state excise department has been directed by HC to decide on these representations within three months.